Monseñor Óscar Romero

Archbishop Óscar Romero of San Salvador, El Salvador became the “bishop for the poor” in 1977. After witnessing countless human rights violations in his country, he severed ties with the El Salvadorian government, as well as the conservative bishops that appointed him, in order to be in solidarity with the poor and oppressed. Romero’s nonviolent advocacy encouraged direct action against oppression. Romero offered fearless leadership against injustice until the day of his assassination in March of 1980. He left behind a legacy of sacrifice, courage, compassion and an example of service and advocacy that inspires people to this day.

To learn more about Archbishop Oscar Romero, check out information from UN and U.S. Catholic Organization. Also, stop by the Chapel’s Undercroft at 7:30pm to watch “Monseñor: The Last Journey of Óscar Romero” to learn more about Romero’s journey for truth and justice.

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.

Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.

No prayer fully expresses our faith.

No confession brings perfection.

No pastoral visit brings wholeness.

No program accomplishes the Church’s mission.

No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.

We plant the seeds that one day will grow.

We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.

We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own.

– Written in honor of Archbishop Oscar Romero by Bishop Ken Upshaw of Saginaw